Jones vs. Machida: UFC 152 Just Became the Most Stacked Card of 2012

The cancellation of UFC 151 has left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans, including the president of the company himself, Dana White.

Dan Henderson's injury forced the UFC's hand in trying to replace him. They eventually presented the light heavyweight champion with the opportunity to still fight on the card against an opponent that few could have predicted—former top middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.

When Jones opted to pass on the fight against Sonnen, the event itself was canceled due to a lack of main-event-worthy fights to go on the card in place of the championship bout.

While this is an unfortunate turn of events for the fans who purchased tickets to UFC 151 and a definite blow to the pocketbook of the organization, there is a silver lining in all of this.

With Jon Jones now set to fight Lyoto Machida in a rematch of their UFC 140 bout, the upcoming UFC 152 card in Toronto now looks like it might be the most stacked fight card of the entire year.

Jones vs. Machida will slide into the main-event slot, which will replace a previously canceled bout between BJ Penn and Rory MacDonald on the main card.

The 205-pound title match will now have some very interesting implications because for the first time in his career, Jones will be facing some adversity.

His honor and his courage have been challenged in light of his decision not to accept another challenger at UFC 151. With Lyoto Machida having arguably won Round 1 of their first fight, UFC 152 could be very interesting.

Even before Jones vs. Machida was added to the card, UFC 152 looked like it was going to be a very fun card.

The first-ever UFC flyweight champion will be crowned that night, as Joseph Benavidez battles Demetrious Johnson. Not only that, but "All American" Brian Stann will fight the UK's most popular fighter, Michael Bisping.

The pay-per-view will also feature the return of Matt Hamill, who will be coming out of retirement to fight another veteran of the sport, Vladimir Matyushenko.

UFC 152 looked to be a very solid card before, but it is now solidified with a great main event between two of the top stars in the sport. Sure, we might be frustrated about what happened with UFC 151, but at least we can take solace in the fact that UFC 152 should be a one of the best events of the year.